Michelle BEnder
Legal Counsel | Head of Ocean RIGHTS Department
“We must recognize that the Ocean is one dynamic, fluid and interconnected entity, made up of vital species and ecosystems not only to humanity, but for present and future generations of all life on the planet.“
(Michelle Bender)
Legal Counsel Head of Ocean Rights Department
Michelle is a leading expert in Rights of Nature (RoN), where she has helped draft RoN laws and policies worldwide, including in the United States, Panama, the Philippines and within international law and institutions. She is the founder and creator of 'Ocean Rights', which builds upon the RoN framework within the ocean policy seascape.
MEMBERSHIPS
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Advisory Board for the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature
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IUCN's World Commission on Environmental Law
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Names as one of 15 Youth Ocean Leaders taking on the world internationally by the Sustainable Ocean Alliance
ACADEMICS
Michelle graduated Summa Cum Laude from Vermont Law School, where she earned a Master’s in Environmental Law and Policy and holds a B.S. in Biology with a Marine Emphasis from Western Washington University.
ASSESSMENTS & ADVOCAY
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Explored and presented ‘Opportunities for Aquariums to Address Plastic Pollution’.
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Developed and coordinated comment letters regarding the recovery of the southern sea otter and threats to delisting.
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Assisted with amicus brief preparation for successful federal court litigation on US Marine Mammal Protection Act public display criteria (a case featured in the documentary Born to be Free).
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Coordinated and co-drafted a legal assessment on alternative legal pathways to address the threat of Deep-seabed mining.
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Developed a guideline for the incorporation of Rights of Nature into marine protected area governance.
CAMPAIGING & CONSULTATIONS
In collaboration with The Ocean Race and Nature’s Rights, launched the initiative towards a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights in March 2022, and in 2023 identified as 1 of 5 gamechanger movements for the Ocean.
Consultant with Nia Tero (Ocean Guardianship), Perkins Coie (cetaceans in captivity and marine sanctuaries) and Friends of the Sea Otter.
PRO BONO
Contribution to Generation Ocean; Ocean Rights: A roadmap towards a liveable future; Amazon ebook; Guest Lectures at Vermont Law School, Western Washington University, University of Auckland and others
PUBLICATIONS
- Bender M, Bustamante R, Leonard K, Living in relationship with the Ocean to transform governance in the UN Ocean Decade (2022), PLoS Biol 20(10):e3001828
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Bender, Michelle, Ocean Rights: The Baltic Sea and World Ocean Health,
Sustainability and the Rights of Nature in Practice, CRC Press, 2020, pp.
237-256.